Hunters of the Holy Spirit
by EvilReceptionistOfDoom
Summary: Filling in the gaps in the show with what the Mikado's Hunters were up to. Will contain: angst, fluff, ninja BFFs, detective work, TBI, a hot-pot party (because when is there NOT a hot-pot party?), angstier angst, fluffier fluff, Shuga, that swordsmith dude, and feels. Not just a retelling of the show. Promise.
1. Hunters, Hunted

_[Obligatory Author Note: the title of each chapter is the episode(s) where gaps are being filled. Comment generously; I am desperate to talk about this show/book series with anyone who will listen and some who won't. Seriously... please comment. 8( ]  
_

* * *

 _ **Balsa, The Female Bodyguard; Hunters, Hunted**_

* * *

The men were silent for a long time after Mon finished explaining their mission. But, as usual, it was Jin who spoke first.

"Sir, there has to be a mistake."

"No mistake."

"But sir, the Mikado could not truly have ordered the death of his own child."

Mon looked weary. "I also did not believe it, but the Master Star Reader has confirmed this must be done. In fact, I have already made an attempt on the boy's life myself, but I failed. The Master Star Reader wishes the next attempt to be made when the prince returns from the mountains. While he is crossing the bridge over the Aoyumi River, there will be an accident: the ox will spook and his carriage will fall into the river. Taga, Yun, you'll both be among the guard escorting his highness, and you'll make sure the animal doesn't run away with the carriage, but falls from the bridge instead. We'll use a blowdart to make it spook."

"Yes, sir," said Yun and Taga in unison. The color drained from Jin's face. The blowgun was his particular weapon.

"Jin, you should have a clear shot from the hillside overlooking the bridge. Use _koro_ poison; the ox should go mad from the pain within a few seconds."

The younger hunter couldn't speak. He felt physically ill; the room seemed to be spinning. In his mind's eye he could see Prince Chagum playing with his brother, Sagum, in the garden behind the first palace, laughing and playing - Chagum, who smiled at his guards and greeted his servants, those whom no one else even acknowledged - Chagum, who was only eleven, who had never left the palace, and for whose safety Jin felt personally responsible. How could he possibly do this? Mon had more easily ordered him to cut a tunnel through Grey Stone Mountain in a single night.

"Jin."

He pressed his eyes shut and clenched his hands to hide their trembling. "Sir."

"This order comes from the emperor himself. You cannot refuse."

"I know, sir." His voice sounded hollow. He felt a reassuring hand on his arm but didn't look to see who it was.

"Are you going to have a problem with this?"

"I already have a problem with it, sir... but I will do as ordered. But Okashira-" He looked up at last, pleading. "Is there truly no other way? Can the demon not be-"

"Do you think the Holy Sage has not already considered this? It isn't up for debate. You will do as instructed. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," he said softly.

"Good. Be in position by dawn tomorrow. Taga, Yun, leave now so that you can join the return convoy before it departs the royal onsen tomorrow. Dismissed."

* * *

The second attempt on the prince's life failed as well, to Jin's obvious, and Mon's hidden, relief. Yet only two days later came even worse news: the second prince was still doomed to execution, and this time it would be at his father's hand. Despite the fact that Mon pulled him aside separately to relay the latest orders one-on-one, Jin's reaction to them was even worse than before. He had to sit down because the shock and anguish Mon's words produced took all the strength from his limbs.

When he felt like he could speak, Jin shook his head and said simply, "I can't do it, sir. I can't. You're only using four of us. Bring someone else."

"No," said Mon. "I need my best warriors with me. That includes you. Consider it a chance to demonstrate your loyalty to the Mikado once and for all - to allay any lingering doubts he has about you. Soon we will be going into an audience with the Master Star Reader; I need you to be calm by then. You're still on shaky ground with the Mikado, Jin. Another mistake may cost you your life. Another success - especially one as important as this - may be enough to redeem you. Steady yourself, and keep your peace before the Master Star Reader, no matter what he may say. All right?"

"No, sir, it's not all right. It's horribly, horrifically wrong. I cannot do this. _Please_ , Okashira-"

"Not another word, Jin. You can and you will do this. I suggest you meditate before we go to the Holy Sage lest you misspeak."

Mon left to talk to the others. Jin went to his room, but he didn't meditate. Instead, he went to the low cupboard along the back wall and found a small wooden box stuffed in the back of one of its compartments. Inside were a handful of mementos: one of Mayuna's hair ribbons, a necklace of his mother's, the last letter his older brother had sent before the shipwreck that took his life, and a few other things. He took from the box a folded piece of silky blue paper: an old candy wrapper. He sat back and stared at the wrapper and remembered when Chagum had given it to him, when Jin was fourteen and almost at the lowest point of his life. Even then the prince had been caring and class-blind. At that moment - five years ago now - Jin had promised himself that he would protect the second prince from any possible harm. Now, he was at a loss. He could not sabotage the hunt; Mon would know what he was doing and stop him. Neither could he take the prince to safety himself, for there was none: New Yogo was a small country, and there was nowhere the boy could go where he would not be found. But for Jin to help bring Prince Chagum to the Mikado to be murdered... Jin remembered the heartache of learning his own father didn't love him - the misery of finding harm in the hands of someone he trusted and depended on. How could Chagum be made to suffer that same betrayal, on top of a violent death? Could there be anything worse?

 _What can I do?_ , Jin thought helplessly. _How can I help you, your highness? I swore to protect you, and now I find myself worse than useless - I find myself complicit in your destruction. Forgive me, Prince Chagum_. Aching inside, his throat dry, the hunter stuffed the candy wrapper in the inner pocket of his coat and went downstairs to meet Mon. He prayed a solution would come to him before it was too late.

* * *

 _[ **PSA:** Did you know that Jin has a whole backstory of his own?! Well, be sure to drop by Platypusbutt, on tumblr, and read all about it, complete with mostly-beautiful illustrations because that backstory is a manga! And I am translating it! Exciting!]_


	2. Mortal Combat

_**Mortal Combat; Torogai's Message**_

* * *

When Yun and Zen arrived at the palace, supporting Mon between them, they were startled to hear that Jin, the fourth of their party, had not yet returned. Mon's condition had made their progress slow, so their colleague, who was uninjured, should have been back hours earlier. Furthermore, as he had been carrying the second prince with him, it was imperative Jin's whereabouts be established at once. Zen, himself wounded, went with Mon to the barracks infirmary, and Yun found Taga and Sun and went back to find where their comrade had got to. Thinking of how fondly Jin had spoken of the Second Prince over the years, Yun half-expected the younger hunter to have run off with the boy and returned him to the bodyguard or otherwise hidden him away. Yun knew the orders for the Prince's death had not sat well with his colleague, and he suspected Jin might have volunteered to take Chagum back to the palace alone as a pretext for circumventing those orders. It wouldn't be the first time.

But on this occasion Yun's suspicions proved wrong. In the empty hours before dawn, the three hunters found Jin wandering unsteadily along the main road on the other side of the city. His hair was matted with blood, and he did not respond when they asked what had happened.

Yun took him by the shoulders. "Did the spearwielder do this?" he asked forcefully.

"Yun?" Jin's eyes were unfocused; he swayed a little as Yun waited for an answer. "What happened to your face?"

"The spearwielder cut it. Jin, tell me what happened."

"I don't- Did I get hurt? I can't... I can't remember anything..." The younger hunter lost his balance and started to fall. Yun caught him and supported him to the ground, then crouched in front of him and said, more slowly, "You were carrying the prince back to the palace. You never showed up, so we came to find you."

"Yun? What are you doing here?" Jin blinked. "What happened?"

"We don't know. Do you remember anything at all?"

"I remember we fought the spearwielder... um, in the rice paddies. Then our leader was injured and the woman escaped."

"That's right. Do you remember you told us to take the chief back to the palace, and you took the prince ahead of us?"

A blank stare. "I thought the spearwielder had the prince. ...What happened to your face?"

"It was cut. Do you think you can walk?"

"What do you mean? ...Did something happen? I feel terrible."

Yun frowned. He could see his colleague's injury was serious, probably the worst of any the woman bodyguard had dealt - because whatever had happened, he felt certain Balsa was to blame, and that the woman and Prince Chagum were long gone. Either way, he wasn't about to get any answers from Jin. "We need to get him to a doctor at once," Yun said quietly, his expression cold. "We won't be able to find the spearwielder before morning, especially without any clues to go on. For now we must focus on recovering, and we'll go after her again when we can."

Sun and Taga exchanged glances. The hunters were ranked by skill; the four who had been sent out after the prince were the best of their number. If the strongest, the fastest, the smartest, and the most experienced of the hunters could not stop this woman, what sort of an opponent must she be?

"Sun," said Yun, "help me get him on his feet. We need to hurry." Sun nodded and came to help, and he and Taga supported Jin upright when he started to swoon. Walking alone seemed to be out of the question; their comrade could hardly keep his head up.

"Why do I feel so terrible?" he mumbled. "Am I hurt?"

"Yes," said Sun, "and we're going to help you to the infirmary."

"What happened? I can't remember anything at all..."

"Don't worry about it," said Taga.

Sun nudged Jin forward. "Come on, let's walk back to the palace. We'll go slow."

The younger hunter went, docilely, but he wore an expression of suspicion and uncertainty. "Where are we now?"

"We're in Middle Ougi."

"Sun, do- do you know what happened?" Jin asked, glancing around. "I feel pretty awful. Did I get hurt?"

Yun turned to Taga, his face stony. "I'll go ahead to let the doctor know to be ready," he said.

By the time Sun and Taga reached the palace, Jin's condition had worsened noticeably. Yun was waiting outside the infirmary and led them inside. The army doctor, who had just finished cleaning up after treating Zen's shoulder, cast a dubious eye upon the newest arrivals. "Don't tell me, that band of highwaymen did this as well?"

"Just treat his wounds," said Yun coolly.

The physician did not argue, knowing better than to meddle in palace affairs. By now Jin could not keep his head raised at all, and his eyes kept falling shut as the doctor tried to examine him. His rattly, worried questions had given way to dull incoherence; when the doctor asked what day it was all he got in reply was a look of sleepy confusion. It had been a serious blow - any worse, the army physician thought privately, and he would surely have been killed instantly. "His skull has been fractured. There isn't much I can do except bandage him up and keep him here for observation. If his condition worsens I'll have to do surgery, but that's dangerous in its own right, so hopefully it won't come to that. Help me get him into a bed."

The doctor cleaned and stitched up Yun's cut, and Taga and Sun went to search the city, the river and the rice fields to see if they could find any trace of the woman bodyguard or her charge. They found nothing; the rain had washed away her path. Rai and Hyoku were off on a mission of their own, so no more could be found to assist in the hunt. Jin slept for two days straight before he regained consciousness, and then he told the others that the spearwielder had come at him like a tiger, using throwing darts against him, the haft of her spear, and finally a rock she snatched off the ground. He had been knocked out, and by the time he woke (he imagined; he didn't actually remember), Chagum and Balsa were gone.

Yun took this information to their leader, who was himself holed up in bed. Between this and what the doctor had told them, the portrait painted was of a desperate, formidable creature such as none of them had ever encountered.

"The spearwielder meant to spare him," Yun said darkly.

"She spared all of us intentionally," Mon replied, his expression just as grim. "What kind of woman is she? Who can fight with such skill as to accomplish this, even with a weapon as crude as a rock?" He was frowning, thinking aloud. The three men sitting in the army infirmary room looked a terrible sight: Yun with stitches across his face, Zen with a deep shoulder wound wrapped tight, Mon with massive bruising to his head and neck and a bandage encircling his forehead. They were silent a long time, bothered at this unexpected and humiliating failure.

Rai and Hyoku, when they returned, brought only worse news. They had been sent against a seventy-year-old Yaku woman, and yet they, too, had been defeated. "She laid a trap for us with Yaku magic," Hyoku said, glaring at the floor in shame. "And... Chief... she left us a message." He was kneeling with his head so near the floor that Mon had to tell him to sit up so that he could hear him. That was when he saw that Hyoku was not wearing his usual coat, but an older, faded one that still had the sleeves attached. Hyoku bowed again, reddening slightly, as he offered Mon a folded garment: the missing coat. Perplexed, Mon unfolded it and found, to his shock, a long message written in ink on its inside lining. Hyoku cringed.

"This is addressed to the Master Star Diviner," said Mon, his eyes widening, "and to Master Shuga, his pupil. Damn! Hyoku, Rai, we must deliver this at once."

"But sir, your injuries-" Zen protested.

"I must take full responsibility for what has happened," said Mon. "We cannot delay. Bring the shaman's message."

* * *

Hyoku felt worse when Mon _didn't_ scold him than he would have if his failure had garnered a sound beating. The shaman's poison hadn't any lasting effects, so he and Rai didn't even have proof of what that old hag had done to them. And what's more, she'd taken his money! Twenty rugals! The Hunters weren't paid for their work beyond a guard's salary, so that hadn't been a small loss. But Hyoku didn't dare tell anyone, lest his shame be even greater.

Burning with frustration, he went to the infirmary to see the only person he felt would understand. Jin had been ordered to stay in bed by the doctor; with half of his head bandaged and a deep purple bruise spreading beneath both eyes, he definitely looked the worst-off of the four the female bodyguard had defeated. He was conscious, however, and able to hold a conversation again. Hyoku sat on the ground next to the futon where Jin lay. The shades were drawn on the window because the physician had said that light would delay healing. Jin listened while Hyoku told him about the hag and her letter, and then they were both quiet.

"We've failed pretty badly," said Jin at last.

"I wish I could get my hands on that crosseyed old bat and just snap her neck," said Hyoku, scowling. "She's made me look like a fool - not just in front of our leader, but in front of the Master Star Diviner himself! Can you believe that a 70-year-old magician could get the better of us so easily?"

"The Yaku have powers we don't understand."

Hyoku made a face and folded his arms. "I suppose you're right." He frowned and said, "What about you? How are you feeling?"

Jin closed his eyes. "I let down his majesty. If it had been Hibi Tonan I failed, I don't know that I'd care so much - but to fail the prince..."

Hyoku cast a suspicious look at his colleague. Never one to mince words, he said, "Yeah, what's with that? Why do you care about the second prince so much? When Mon told you to shoot the ox pulling his carriage, you looked like you were going to faint. It's a little weird."

"He was kind to me once."

"So?"

"So, no one else at court has ever treated me as human - or any of us, frankly. To them we're just tools - or we don't even exist."

"So? Who cares about anyone in court? We just have to follow their orders, we don't have to like them." Hyoku rolled his eyes. "I hate when you get like this. It's been years now. You need to just accept this is your life and get over it."

"And he reminds me of Touji."

This silenced Hyoku for a moment. The job of Hunter went to the youngest son in a family; Jin had had a younger brother who died, which was why he'd been so late to start training, but the Hunters' civilian lives were something of a taboo subject among them. Touji had been four years Jin's junior, and had already been training for more than three years when he died. Hyoku had been friends with Touji, as well, so the reminder was particularly poignant for him.

"I lost everything in such a short time - Mayuna, my brothers, my father, my future. Surely you would understand why Prince Chagum would mean more to me than anyone else in the royal family, even if he had never bothered with me at all. In fact, I'm almost glad the spearwoman kept us from bringing him back here. Perhaps a way can still be found to kill the demon without harming his majesty."

"You should watch yourself," Hyoku said in a low voice. "Your cracked head is making you talk more frankly than I think you want to."

"Then maybe I have an excuse. I get tired of having to guard everything I say."

"Jin-"

"Do you resent me, Suyou?"

Hyoku straightened, startled. Of course, all the Hunters knew each other's real names, and he and Jin had known each other as boys before coming to the palace to be hunters. But he would never have used Jin's real name in a place where anyone might be listening. "I don't know what you mean," he growled, "but you know better than to use that word."

His caution fell on deaf ears. "Do you resent that I surpassed you? When we were children you beat me so easily. You were a hundred times better than me and you never let me forget it. But here I am second only to our leader, and you're stuck at sixth. Don't you get jealous?"

Hyoku sniffed. "Why? You picked up the training faster than anyone. Our leader sees something in you, and I trust his judgment. Mon knows what he's doing. Besides..." He shrugged. "I always knew you'd be better than me once you started training. Why do you think I pushed you around so much? I was young and stupid and I couldn't accept that anyone might be better than me at _anything_. But I got over it. People change."

Jin managed a small smile. "After this debacle, Mon'll probably demote all of us to nine, anyways."

Hyoku grinned back. "Probably. The Master Star Reader just about had an aneurysm when he saw that letter the shaman wrote. We'll be lucky if they don't have us all executed."

"Well, at least we won't die alone."

Hyoku laughed loudly at this. "Maybe I want to die alone! I've had to put up with you enough already, I don't need you ruining my afterlife, too!"

"You're a true friend, Hyoku. Even if you did try to kill me the first time we met."

"Yeah, well, same back at you. Rest up while you can. Water demons wait for no one."

* * *

 _[ **Author note:** In case you missed the PSA, all the cryptic hints about Jin's past are actually canon-compliant references to his eponymous gaiden comic, which you can read yourself! Just roll on over to Platypusbutt, the greatest tumblr the world has never seen, and check that puppy out. You probably won't regret it!]_


	3. Death in the Misty Blue

_**Death in the Aogiri**_

* * *

It took only a week or so before Jin decided he was better and moved back to the hunters' barracks himself, without consulting or telling the doctor.

"Our leader isn't going to like it," said Sun. He had set his sword, unsheathed, on a wall rack, and was straightening his hair using the blade for a mirror. "He told you to rest, didn't he?"

"I've been resting more than a week. I think I'm rested enough."

"You're disobeying a direct order. Again," he added with a pointed glance.

"I'm not. He said 'rest and heal', and I'm healed. I'm done resting."

Sun's mouth quirked and he shook his head. "The things you get away with. How's your balance?"

Jin frowned. He did not want to admit that he had been so dizzy coming here that he almost hadn't made it. He wanted to be healed so badly that he had a childish notion that if he ignored his symptoms they would simply go away.

Sun didn't need an answer. "Here," he said, walking over and holding out an arm. "I'll help you. Everyone's meeting by the river to discuss the spearwielder's plans. I'll get you up to speed on the way."

* * *

Mon was, as predicted, infuriated when he saw his second out of bed and walking, albeit with Sun's aid. But his anger dissipated quickly. In truth, he was glad to see the younger man up and around. Nor was he surprised; he'd been expecting something like this for a few days now. Jin was headstrong to a fault, and would rather do something brash and stupid than nothing at all. Sun had been right: Mon let Jin get away with things that none of the other hunters would ever dare consider. But Mon had a keen understanding of people, and he knew where the recklessness came from. Jin's father had followed every order to the letter, to the point that, had Mon told him to kill his own family, the man would have done it without hesitation. Jin himself, on the other hand, had missed out on most of a Hunter's preliminary training and had never had a good relationship with his father to begin with. When the other boy, Touji, had died, rather than wait enough time to let the grief numb - even a few days - their father had told Jin of the Huntership mere hours after the funeral, and started the boy's training that night. The brutal training regimen had been bad enough for Mon and the others; but Mon could not imagine having to deal with the death of a sibling at the same time. For this and other reasons, he had more-or-less unconsciously slipped into the role of father figure when Jin's real father died not a year after his training began. He remembered the sullen, heartsick teenager that had arrived at the barracks with a couple of keepsakes and not much else. By that point the boy had lost and avenged his betrothed, without his father's approval or help, and the father's reaction had poisoned their relationship seemingly beyond repair - yet not enough to insulate the son from grief at his father's passing. Assassin or not, Mon wasn't without compassion. He knew that Jin felt if the hunters had acted sooner, his betrothed, Mayuna, would not have been killed. He could appreciate that Jin wanted to be as little like his father as possible. He understood that Jin was a prideful, relentless personality, and that the episode with the spearwielder must have been especially painful to endure because Jin had been the one who lost the prince. Mon could see that Jin was impatient to redeem himself in Mon's eyes, and to correct what he regarded as his own error. So rather than reprimand, Mon merely said, "You should have stayed in bed, but since you're here, you might as well join us. Take a seat."


	4. Chagum's Resolve

_**Chagum's Resolve**_

* * *

Mon pursued the spearwielder on horseback, heedless of his own injury's lingering effects. He returned with head throbbing, the bearer of good news, news of victory - but feeling as if he had failed in some deeply fundamental way. He was very quiet and remained quiet for several days afterwards. The others gave him his space, for they knew what incredible pressure he had been under lately. He alone had borne the brunt of the Hunters' failures against the spearwielder and the magic weaver. He had been prepared to commit suicide if the Mikado demanded it, but had spoken so expertly as to rescue himself and his men from severe punishment.

Mon was a good warrior, but not the best to have held his rank. Rather, he had been made the leader of the hunters thanks to his attention to detail, his subtle, thoughtful strategems, his unwavering courage and determination, and his unmatched ability to quickly and accurately read people and situations. If Mon was disturbed by something, the other hunters trusted that judgment. They remained wary, but without orders to the contrary, the men went back to their normal lives. Those who were married went home to their families, and all of them returned to guard duties except Zen, whose shoulder needed a little more time to heal, and Jin, whom Mon had forbidden to do anything but recuperate until the doctor said otherwise. Zen had a wife and a very young daughter, so he was happy for the reprieve. Jin, on the other hand, chafed at the prospect of continued inaction; he felt as if he were being punished for losing the prince in the first place, and he threw himself back into training with a vigor that the doctor insisted was folly. The bandages were off and the bruises had faded, but, though Jin studiously ignored the lingering symptoms of his skull fracture, he still had frequent headaches and occasional dizzy spells, confirming the doctor's reprimands. He could have gone home himself, but the people of his household thought he was in the country's north right now, studying with some famous philosopher he'd made up, and a sudden return might raise eyebrows. So Jin stayed at the barracks and practiced day in and day out, waiting for Mon to tell him he had done enough.

* * *

Mon had a family as well - not a wife and child but a pair of aged parents and a spinster sister. The women knew he was a captain in the royal guard, but his father knew Mon was much more than that, as he, too, had been a hunter, though he had never been Mon himself. The old man was proud of his son. He often asked, late at night after the household had gone to bed, when only he and Mon were still up and no light burned besides the embers in the hearth, how things were going. Mon never gave details, but he still sought his father's wisdom now and again. He did so two days after returning from the Aogiri Mountain Road.

"Ah, Ryuu, my son!" cried his mother when he arrived, holding out her arms. "How good to see you! They keep you so busy at court that I feel like you're becoming a stranger!"

"Hello, mother. Hello, Ama. Is father here?"

"Your father's just gone to visit Heki Kamuran - you remember him, don't you? His son's in the guard as well! Perhaps you know each other."

Mon only nodded. He knew Heki Kamuran because Heki, too, had been a hunter, and his son was the current Yun. He sat and sipped tea slowly while he waited, listening patiently to his sister Ama rattling on about the doings of their other siblings, three older brothers and another sister. Mon's oldest nephew, it seemed, was getting married in the fall, and both Ama and his mother took the opportunity to launch into a discussion of marriage - Mon's marriage, specifically. "You're getting so old, dear," his mother lamented. "Surely the palace doesn't keep you so busy that you can't afford to meet a nice woman and settle down."

"I'm afraid it does, mother. Building a family will have to wait."

Mon's father returned as the sun was setting, and after a hearty meal of grilled beef, vegetables and rice drenched in spicy red sauce, the old man had the servants bring a bottle of wine for the men to share. Before long they were alone, and at last Mon's father asked, "Something is troubling you, my son. What is it?"

Mon frowned. "Father... did you ever feel, when following your orders, that you had participated in something terribly wrong?"

"Ah, so that's it." The old man sighed and set down his glass. "I think we all have crises of this sort now and again. For me it was after I was told to kill the children of a dissident, so that they would not grow up to seek revenge against the Mikado. I had been told, as you were, that the hunters are the true heroes of the empire - but a hero doesn't murder children."

"Did you carry out the order?"

The old man's forehead creased in pain. "Yes," he said softly, "I did. And I have had to carry that burden til this very day. I will carry it to my grave."

"I see." Mon's shoulders sagged.

"The Mikado is descended from heaven, my son. Your place is merely to trust his judgment and do his bidding. A god can do no ill."

Mon left his parents' home no more at ease than he had arrived. He kept seeing the bodies at the bottom of the ravine. He thought of the woman bodyguard's fearlessness when she attacked him, stepping into his blade to knock him out. He remembered the young prince's happy smile and felt another pang. What had he done? Could the emperor really be right to order the deaths of such an honorable warrior - and such an innocent child? Never in all his years as a hunter had Mon felt his faith in his master so shaken.


	5. Swordsmith

_**The Swordsmith**_

* * *

It had been more than two weeks since the encounter at Aogiri Pass when Mon found Jin practicing in the barracks courtyard and announced they were going to the smith. Jin was so startled and pleased by the news that he actually smiled before bowing and hurrying off to change into uniform. It was not their destination that surprised him, but the fact that Mon had decided the younger man's probation was over. In fact, they had gone to this smith many times before; Mon intended his second to learn metalsmithing, and this sword-maker was the best in all New Yogo. There could not be a better to observe at work.

"But... won't that make me a weaker warrior?" he had asked the first time Mon took him to the swordsmith, when Jin was sixteen and still rather naive. Mon had merely laughed.

"That superstition was probably started by smiths who didn't want their clients to know what shoddy work they did compared to others. No, if anything this will make you a stronger warrior. If you understand what your blade can do, you will use it better, and you will never ask of it more than it can provide. Eventually you will be able to make a sword on your own."

"And who is this?" the smith had asked when Mon entered the shop with a shy, gangly teenager in tow. "Your apprentice?"

Mon had smiled. "He is a new guardsman who is interested in metalwork and would like to learn the trade. I thought that you wouldn't mind if he watched you work."

"Certainly," the smith said. "You yourself have never heeded the superstitions, and I am glad to see you are not alone in that. Come, son, take a seat and I'll explain the process."

Watching the interactions between Mon and the wily swordsmith had taught Jin nearly as much as the smith's lessons. The smith was a shrewd, insightful man who knew more about Mon's true profession than perhaps anyone not intended to know of the hunters' existence. Mon was well aware the smith was no fool, but he still flawlessly kept up the pretense of being a simple guardsman. Conversations between the two were like sparring matches - thrust and parry, jab and dodge. The smith recognized Mon's wisdom and respected him for it, and Mon, in turn, respected the smith for his principles and unparallelled craftsmanship. He made all the hunters' blades, and the questions he asked kept Mon's brain as sharp as his sword.

Today, the smith smiled when the two men entered his shop. "Please, sit down. I'm just finishing up here." He quenched the dagger he was working on in a small pot of oil and turned to face his guests. "What brings you here today? Another lesson for your apprentice?" His eyes twinkled.

"Not today," said Mon. "Our swords need to be serviced."

"Already? I polished them only a few months ago."

"Yes. Unfortunately they have become worn faster than expected. Can you repair them?"

"Let me see the blades." The smith reached over and took the swords that Mon and Jin proffered. Carefully the old man unsheathed each weapon and examined the edge. "Worn, indeed! These are beyond repair; the blades will have to be replaced. May I ask how they came to be in such a state?"

Mon gave a small laugh. "Carelessness while sparring, I'm afraid."

The smith raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? I thought that you of all people would respect your swords more than to damage them carelessly."

"It was not us but our opponents who were careless. How long do you think it will take before you can forge new blades?"

"A week, I think. Is that satisfactory?"

"Of course," said Mon with a small bow of his head. "Your work is the finest in New Yogo; I would not rush you."

The smith nodded back. "Would your apprentice like to stay and watch? I'll be removing the blades from the hilts; nothing he hasn't seen before, but perhaps it would be more useful when the sword concerned is his own."

Jin looked at Mon, and Mon nodded. "Your offer is, as usual, a thoughtful one. I would stay and watch, myself, but I have work to attend to. Good day to you." He left, and Jin remained, sitting on a log before the smith's workbench while the smith showed him how to disassemble the blue-lacquered hilt from its pitted, battered blade. He felt elated to be away from the palace. Watching the swordsmith's nimble hands, the young man let himself become absorbed in the work. For a little while, he could forget about being injured and about failing Chagum and Mon and just be the smith's pupil. And the smith, wise fellow that he was, asked no prying questions. These weapons had been through hell - even the hilts were damaged - but the nature of that hell was an inquiry for another time.

* * *

A week later, Mon and Jin walked together along a side-path to the smith's, avoiding the main road because they had a little extra time and Mon wanted to talk. The sun was out; it was early morning, so the air was still cool and refreshing. The peal of hammers ringing on metal echoed from Smith's Row as the pair followed a narrow track between rice paddies on the far side of the valley.

"You seem to have completely recovered," Mon observed.

"Yes, Chief." It was true: the headaches had mostly subsided, and with all his practicing, Jin felt his balance was back to normal.

"There is no shame in being defeated by a truly great warrior," Mon continued. "The Spearwielder was a woman of exceptional ability. You should not consider her victory a commentary on your own skills."

"Forgive me, Okashira, but how can I not? I failed the Prince and lost a fight to an unarmed woman-"

"I also lost to her, Jin. And Yun and Zen did not even manage to wound her before she overcame them. We could dwell on the loss and wallow in our shame, thinking ourselves weak or otherwise useless, but you and I both know better than that. There is no man who could defeat us in battle - but the Spearwielder was unlike any other. Our defeat was inevitable."

Jin frowned but did not voice disagreement.

"I know that you cared for the prince, Jin," Mon went on, his tone suddenly gentle. "I know, also, that you feel responsible for his death, though you had no part in it. This, also, is folly. You have finally learned the obedience that a Hunter must have towards his Mikado - you acted against your own judgment, without argument. And I'm proud of you for doing that."

"But if I hadn't failed-"

"-then the Prince would have been killed by his own father. Either way, he would be dead." Mon stopped walking, turned and set a hand on the other's arm.

"Let me bear the guilt for both of us. You're still young, and you'll have plenty more blood on your hands before your career is over. The burden of the leader is to take responsibility for the orders he gives his men. You'll get your chance soon enough."

"Sir?"

Mon had begun walking again. "When I retire, you'll take my place. Then you'll be the one who must answer for the lives we take in the Mikado's name. It's not a pleasant burden to bear; let me carry it for now." By then they had reached the hill where the smith's workshop sat, and there the conversation ended. The pair went inside to retrieve their repaired swords.


	6. Young Death

_**Young Death**_

* * *

Over a month passed, then, uneventfully. The Hunters returned to guard duty. The men tried to forget about their role in the Second Prince's death. Things seemed to settle back into a normal routine.

Then Crown Prince Sagum died.

Mon heard the news first. The sun had just gone down; the ground was still wet from the morning's rain, and stars were blinking on above, when one of the invisibles hurried up, bowed low, and delivered a note from the Master Star Reader. Mon read it and felt the ground had dropped out from under him. The Crown Prince had been in poor health, of course, but to have him die - and to die now! The country had no heir. The Emperor's two sons had died in the space of three months and there was no one to rule if the Emperor himself were to meet with accident. And he, Mon, had not been able to save Prince Chagum, so he felt a sharp pang of guilt along with his grief for Sagum and the Mikado. But his emotions were of no consequence. Right now, he had to tell the others. He went at once to the Hunters' barracks.

They reacted as Mon expected, with shock and sorrow. Everyone sat silently in the main room of the building, and for a while the only sound that could be heard was the crackle of charcoal in the hearth.

"So now what?" said Zen. "What will His Majesty do?"

Mon shook his head. "I don't know, Zen. His Majesty's heart must be breaking right now."

There followed another pregnant pause.

"Sir," said Jin quietly, who had (uncharacteristically) been silent all evening, "Master Shuga borrowed a horse from the royal stables this afternoon and raced off in the direction of the Aogiri Pass. I believe he knows something that he isn't revealing. Perhaps... perhaps Prince Chagum still lives, sir."

Yun nodded at this. "Sir, the invisible that went into the inner chamber of the Star Palace said something about the Second Prince while Rai and I were interrogating him. He said that Master Shuga believes the prince is alive, and that he was only trying to help. We thought he was simply being insolent, but perhaps he was telling the truth."

Mon straightened. So much had happened in just one day! That very morning, the Master Star Reader had brought an invisible to him, ordering the man to be interrogated and executed, as was the punishment for any invisible who transgressed the Star Palace's sacred inner room without permission. Yun and Rai had only just begun with him; they had been planning to return after supper and a nap. But it seemed that everything was connected, though Mon couldn't see the connections clearly yet. "Yun, get the invisible from his cell and bring him to the stables. Zen, get supplies for scaling the canyon wall at the Aogiri Pass. Jin, you get horses for the four of us and for the prisoner. We must leave at once if we're to catch Master Shuga before he reaches the Pass. The rest of you, keep an extra-close eye on how His Majesty's advisors and retainers react to the news of Prince Sagum's death. Now is the time for vigilance - now when the Mikado is vulnerable with grief and has no heir to succeed him. You must see and hear everything. Let's go."

Within twenty minutes, Mon and his three top Hunters were mounted and galloping towards the Misty Blue Mountains, their prisoner bound and in tow. The invisible had claimed to know nothing of Shuga's destination, but Mon felt Shuga would be more cooperative if he knew someone else were involved - someone whose life was already forfeit, someone who could be used as leverage. The horses' hooves clattered on the cobblestones, kicking up mud in the moonlit night.


	7. Wholeheartedly

_**Wholeheartedly**_

* * *

The men rode through the night and into morning. Shuga had made faster time than the Hunters expected, and by the time they spotted his horse, it was already riderless. Mon growled a curse under his breath and kicked his horse into a gallop. He meant to go after the star reader himself, so as to, he hoped, get answers with diplomacy rather than antagonism. But before he could stop his second, Jin was off the horse, at the edge of the canyon, and jabbing a sword at Shuga's chest. Mon had to admit to himself he really should have known better. But it was too late to change course now; he decided to just go with it.

The star reader, when the hunters arrived, had just begun to descend the crevasse in the most amateur way possible: no rope, one hand holding a cloth to his face and thus only one hand free for climbing. It was a laughable and pathetic sight. Mon knew that Shuga was gifted intellectually, but the young man was also incredibly naive. Had the hunters not arrived when they did, there was no telling what might have happened. Most likely Shuga would have fallen; if not, then he might have been killed by the poison mists, his waifish body being too fragile to take the stress of breathing such toxic gas, diluted though it was. Mon was grateful they had arrived in time to stop him; he felt certain they had just saved the young star reader's life.

When Shuga had explained himself, looking distressed and sounding apologetic, Mon understood what the star reader was after, and he himself descended to the floor of the ravine while the others waited at the top. Twenty minutes later, the deception had been revealed, the invisible freed, and Shuga informed of the terrible news about Crown Prince Sagum. The star reader, hearing this, fell to the ground so abruptly that Mon thought he must have fainted. Zen caught Shuga before he hit the ground, but the young man pushed him away and went to his knees, sobbing openly. The Hunters exchanged glances, startled at such an open display of emotion and unsure how to react. After a moment, Mon crouched beside the star reader and said, "Master Shuga, is there anything we can do for you?"

Shuga tried to collect himself, brushing at his eyes with one long sleeve and mumbling an apology. But he failed; the fact of Sagum's death seemed more than he could take. He cried for many minutes before he seemed able to regain composure. Then he could not seem to stop apologizing, despite the fact that none of the hunters had said a word about it. Truth be told, they understood Shuga's grief. Sagum had been a genuinely kind and good-hearted person, the sort of prince that would have grown into a wise and compassionate king, and a rarity among the nobility. The death of anyone who thought of others more than of himself would have been a loss in any circumstance - but the death of a selfless heir to the throne, that was something irreplaceable. Mon, who in guarding the royal family had watched Sagum gradually develop into a man, would himself have wept had it not been so unthinkable for someone of his station. He could not begrudge Shuga this indiscretion. Quite the opposite: it made him wish there were some way for him to ease the young man's pain. He resolved then that he would help Shuga in any way he could.

"Please," Shuga whispered at last, not trusting himself to speak, "may I see him? May I see Prince Sagum?"

Mon didn't ask why; he only nodded.

"Thank you," said Shuga. "I'm so sorry- to be so- so emotional, I just-"

"It's fine, Master Shuga," said Mon. "We all feel the pain of Crown Prince Sagum's loss. The Empire will not be the same without him."

Shuga nodded and managed a smile. Mon helped him onto his horse, nodded at the others to mount up, and the group headed off down the mountain, back to Kousenkyo. It was evening by the time they arrived.

* * *

"Okashira, may I speak with you?"

"What is it, Jin?"

The younger hunter came into the older's room in the barracks and closed the door behind him. "Sir, I don't think that Shuga should be in charge of the search for the prince."

" _Master_ Shuga, Jin."

Jin frowned. "Does it matter?"

"If you are disrespectful in private, it will come out in public. You must show the deference a man of Master Shuga's status demands."

"Yes, sir," the young man said, chastised.

Mon continued, "As for your concerns about Master Shuga's leadership, you must remember that it was he who discovered that the prince still lives, not us. I have every faith in Master Shuga's abilities. He is young, but he is wise beyond his years. Trust him."

"Yes, sir."

There was a long pause. Mon waited, but Jin didn't leave. "Was there something else?" the older man prompted.

"Sir..." Jin was still frowning, but now he looked distressed rather than humiliated or annoyed. "...Do you think he's right? Do you think Prince Chagum is still alive?"

"Yes," said Mon. "In fact, even before Master Shuga's discovery, I felt in my heart that the prince and the spearwielder still lived. Do you remember, when we went to the swordsmith, the spear that he was working on? And that story he told, which was so like the experiences of his highness? I felt then that it couldn't be a coincidence - but I had no proof, and I told myself that I was grasping at straws, so I didn't act. But now that Master Shuga has found that proof..."

Jin straightened, looking horrified. "She was there. We had just missed her."

"I believe so."

Jin slumped into his shoulders. "We failed, yet again. We could have resolved all of this then. Damn it! I've never felt so useless in my life."

"Don't be overdramatic," said Mon.

"Sir, a star reader figured out what was before our eyes the whole time. The Mikado's right, we are the worst Hunters in the Empire's history."

Mon straightened, his expression unamused. "You're out of line, Jin. I understand that this hurts your pride, but all of the evidence pointed to Prince Chagum's death. We had no reason to doubt. If we had tried to push matters and we had been wrong, it would have been a greater disgrace than this - we would have raised the Emperor's hopes for nothing. I made the most prudent decision I could with the information available. You know that, and you wouldn't be reacting this way if Prince Chagum weren't involved. You're a bright young man, Jin, but you have a hell of a lot of growing up to do. Now: are we finished?"

The other hunter looked at the floor. "...Yes, sir."

"Good. I expect you to give Master Shuga your full cooperation, and if you behave anything less than respectfully, I assure you that you will regret it. Is that clear?"

Jin nodded. "I will be absolutely professional towards him, Okashira. I promise."

* * *

Jin kept his word. When the hunters met Shuga the next morning at a city guard station in downtown Kousenkyo to begin the search, Jin was appropriately deferential, calm, and polite. Nor did his fears of Shuga's inexperience hampering their investigation come to fruition: Shuga's first act was to turn the reins over to Mon. "I cannot presume to know where to begin," the star reader explained. "My realm is the heavens and the supernatural; this is an earthly matter, and I confess I am quite at a loss. I believe my attempt at rock-climbing has proven that," he added with a self-deprecating half-smile. "But as a unit, your reputation precedes you. Mon, I wish to step back and merely observe. I don't want to get in your way."

"I understand, Master Shuga. Please ask about anything you wish, and please do not hesitate to intervene."

"Thank you," said Shuga. "Please, proceed with your investigation."

Mon nodded and turned to his men. They knew that Balsa the spearwielder and Prince Chagum were alive, together, and, according to Shuga, somewhere in Kousenkyo. But the city had more than 200,000 inhabitants, so they would need something to go on before they started looking for her. Mon had decided the best lead they had was from their original investigation: an errand-runner who had purchased supplies for the spearwielder the night after she first took custody of the prince. Since she had enlisted his help when she was first on the run, it was likely that she knew the boy personally and trusted him. He would thus probably know where she was staying now. They would start with the owners of the shops where Mon had seen the errand boy and proceed from there.

There was a second lead as well. The swordsmith who had serviced Balsa's spear had known the circumstances of the prince's escape, suggesting a personal connection to her. Furthermore, Mon knew from many conversations with the man that he only accepted clients whom he knew worthy of his talents. He would not have repaired the spearwielder's weapon without either knowing her himself or having someone he knew vouch for her. Either way, he might be able to point Mon in the right direction.

"Master Shuga," Mon said once he had explained this, "please wait here for now. We will return to update you on our progress as the search unfolds. Hyoku, you stay with Master Shuga and take care of anything he needs. Zen, Yun, Rai, Sun, Taga, you will interview the shop owners. We need the boy's name and his whereabouts, if possible. As soon as you have any information, pass it along to the others, and then everyone spread out and find him. Keep me appraised. Do not reveal yourselves or approach the boy until instructed. Jin, you're with me. We'll go to the swordsmith and see if he has anything to offer. Everyone, dismissed."

Dressed in plainclothes so that they resembled the civilians that anyone might pass on the streets of Kousenkyo without a second glance, the Hunters dispersed. Hyoku remained with Shuga in the guard station, as instructed, seething inside. He was being left out of the action - why? He could only guess this was punishment for the embarrassment that letter on his coat had caused. It wasn't fair. Rai got to take part in the search, even though he'd been fooled by that Yaku witch, too. But of course Hyoku kept his complaints under wraps. He sat silently with Shuga, hoping he wouldn't have to wait long before he was needed... or at least before it was someone else's turn to babysit the star reader.

"How long have you been a Hunter?"

The question came after something like an hour. Shuga's tone was conversational, but Hyoku still jumped at the sudden remark, and he cursed the other mansilently. He must not only sit with Master Shuga and tend the teapot like a servingmaid, but now he had to keep the other man entertained as well?

"Since I was a child," he said, doing everything within his power to keep his voice level and pleasant.

"How old are you?"

"I am nineteen," said Hyoku. "I began my training when I was six."

"Thirteen years," said Shuga, mildly impressed. "Is it customary to begin so young?"

"Yes."

"Are you the youngest of the Hunters?"

"Yes, Master Shuga." What the hell was he getting at? Was he just curious? Was he trying to start up a friendship or something? Hyoku gritted his teeth internally, resenting this civilian more by the second.

"If you do not mind... What was your encounter with Mistress Torogai like?" Seeing lack of understanding on the other's face, Shuga clarified, "The Yaku magic weaver, the old woman who sent the message to the Master Star Reader and I on the inside of your coat. I am curious about the specifics of the magical techniques she used against you. Would you please humor me with a detailed description of the poison's effects?"

The hunter maintained his self-control, but inside, Hyoku's blood was on fire. How dare this stupid Star Reader make him relive the crowning humiliation of his life? He knew that Shuga meant the question in absolute earnest, because even his limited interaction with Master Shuga had made it abundantly clear what sort of man he was: credulous, curious, idealistic, and devoid of common sense. But that didn't change the fact that his defeat by that old hag was seared into Hyoku's heart like a firebrand, and even the mere mention of it made his pride sting. Still, Mon had told him to carry out every request the Star Reader made of him, and that was what Hyoku would do. He took a deep breath. "As you wish, Master Shuga. There was no sign that anything was amiss until I thought that I had slain her..."

* * *

The others, meanwhile, were having a better time of things. Sun, who could charm anyone, was chatting up a woman who'd sold a set of child-sized clothing to Balsa's errand-runner, and Zen was talking to the merchant from whom the errand boy had tried to buy a horse. Taga walked into a general supply store on the same square and went to the counter.

"Hey, do you know the best place to hire an errand runner around here?" he asked the clerk cheerfully. "I'm new here and I'm having the worst time figuring out where to buy anything. My wife is going crazy."

"What are you looking for?" said the clerk. "Maybe we've got it here."

"That's just the thing," said Taga. "I'm sick of buying all this stuff myself. Every time I get back to the house my wife sends me back out with another list of supplies for the new place. If I had someone to do the shopping for me, I could just send them on the scavenger hunt, you know?"

The clerk nodded sympathetically. "You could check down by the waterfront," he suggested. "There's usually a lot of orphans and street kids down there looking for odd jobs."

"Ah, that's a good idea! Do you know the names of any trustworthy ones I could ask for?"

The clerk thought on this. "I don't know their names, really, but there are a couple I see in here a lot - this one kid with a pig nose, and another kid with big buck teeth, like this." He pulled his upper lip back and gave himself an overbite to demonstrate. "He wears a turban. And there's a girl, pretty, not very tall, keeps her hair short... Sorry, that's not very helpful. I've seen her with the toothy kid once or twice. Pig-nose works alone; he's a little older, maybe eighteen, hard to tell. Sorry, I haven't worked here long myself," the clerk confessed. "I'd know them better otherwise. Good luck - come back if you need anything else."

Taga thanked him and went to another general store a short ways away. After a similar exchange, he ended up with a similar answer. The third place confirmed it. Taga spotted Sun walking out of a travel-supply shop and caught him by the arm. "I'm going to the fishermen's wharf on a lead." He described the pig-nosed boy and the buck-toothed kid, and Sun promised to pass the information along.

"I've got a couple of names you might listen for," Sun said, "Taya, Tora, Soya - I don't think any of them is right, but it's bound to sound something like that."

"Got it. I'll head back to the station if I find anything new." He smiled. "Kind of a boring investigation, but at least we're getting out, right?"

Sun only laughed. "See you around."

* * *

 _[Author note, if you're interested:_ _Did you know there's a manga all about Jin and Hyoku as preteens and how completely messed up the Hunter training system is? Are you just dying to read it? Well, you're in luck, because I'm fanlating it and posting it online! Hop on over to tumblr and check out Platypusbutt, the greatest username ever unclaimed - or you can pop over to AO3, where the majority of my Moribito fanfiction is anyways, and find a helpful link on my profile page. I have also put some rudimentary book summaries for the Moribito novel series on the Moribito wiki, because, I mean, there's got to be SOME English-speakers out there who want to know...? Right?]_


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